wingless

1. Manhattan Beach is the most expensive in the area http://www.ci.manhattan-beach.ca.us/
2. Hermosa Beach is slightly cheaper and my favorite http://www.hermosabch.org/
3. Redondo is the least expensive of the 3 cities (2 bd apt ~$1200+) http://www.redondo.org/
4. El Segundo does have a quiet area off of main street with an smaill town feel and is probably the cheapest in the 10 mile radius (not counting dangerous cities of course) but it does have a huge electrical plant, chevron plant and sewage treatment plant between the cute city and LAX but the people I have met that live there love it. http://www.elsegundo.org/
4. Westchester is nice and probably moderately priced
5 Playa Del Ray is a cute beach city just North of the airport and slightly more than Westchester. http://www.playadelrey.com/
6. Marina Del Rey is very nice and pricey too http://www.visitthemarina.com/

Long Beach is great BUT...the area you would want to live in will take you 15 minutes to 45 minutes to get there. They have really done a nice job in Long Beach so prices can be moderate to expensive. Beware parts of Northern Long Beach have bad neighborhoods with gang problems so you want to be closer to the coast. http://www.ci.long-beach.ca.us/

Also if you have kids you do not want them in LA County schools so some areas have there own districts and the ones that do not you might need to send them to private schools.

Rejuvenated

That would result in a looooooong commute via PCH or Sepulveda Blvd and all the red light intersections involved.

stimpy

Take a look at a map. You wouldn't touch PCH nor Sepulveda.

As for schools, that is why I recommended Long Beach. They have some of the best public schools in the state.

Also, Long Beach is the 5th largest city in California. So it has many different and diverse neighborhoods ranging from filthy rich to depressed poor.

BeachRunner

I agree with Stimpy. Long Beach has much to offer, and compared to the other beach cities (which I also love) it is much more affordable. As mentioned above, you have to do your research on the neighborhoods. But the schools are great in Long Beach at all levels. I am particularly fond of Belmont Shore, but if you move closer to the college, you will find larger pieces of property that are slightly more affordable. And there will be good freeway access.

Ah, I look forward to moving back some day soon...

Rejuvenated

Without PCH or Sepulveda, what other quicker side streets or highways are available to reach El Segundo? As I stated previously, the 405 is always congested. Taking the St. Thomas Bridge would lead to the 110. From the 110, one would either have to connect to the 405 or the 105 to reach El Segundo. Going 110 north then 105 west isn't going to be faster than taking the congested 405 north.
I don't disagree with your description regarding the quality of living in Long Beach. It has some of the finest community in all of Southern California. If I were working there or around the satellite cities such as Lakewood, Cerritos, Los Alamitos, San Pedro, etc I would rank Long Beach on the top list of choices. But the fact is that there really isn't much favorable smooth traffic patterns to commute between Long Beach and El Segundo (Freeway or Side streets)

stimpy

As I said earlier, the morning is fine on the 405. It doesn't jam up until you reach LAX. In the early afternoon, between LAX and the 710 it is also fine. No traffic jams until you reach Long Beach and even then it doesn't get really bad til you turn down to OC. Later in the afternoon it gets worse, and if it is really bad you can turn down the 110 to the bridge.

I lived in Long Beach for 10 years. The first 5 I traveled all over LA county. The second 5 I flew over 200,000 miles per year so I went between Long Beach and El Segundo a great many times at all different hours. The only times I had significant traffic problems were in late afternoons or if there was an accident mucking things up.

However if you want objective information, see www.sigalert.com

Rejuvenated

In the past during non-peak hours, commute is fine. But traffic has gotten worse over the last couple of years even during non-peak. For one who often commutes between Encino/Bel-Air and Carson during Midday at 1-2pm, very rarely has there been smooth relief on the 405. From the moment I enter the ramp near the Getty to the exit at Wilmington, it has mostly been bumper to bumper.
Commute on the 110 from the 405 to San Pedro during the afternoon is also heavily congested and won't be much faster if you continue further on the 405 south.

stimpy

You are absolutely correct about that stretch of the 405 from the Getty down to LAX. But after LAX it opens up just fine except during the late afternoon. It's not completely open, but traffic moves well enough in comparison to north of LAX.

In my experience, the 110 is only congested for a mile or so south of the 405 during the afternoon rush. From there it opens up and it is very open on the bridge and the rest of the route into Long Beach.

stimpy

I did the reverse commute today. In the morning at 8:30, both north and southbound 405 lanes were wide open after I passed LAX. Speeds 65-70mph. There was a slowdown between the 110 and the 710 due to a serious injury accident at Atlantic, but that was cleared by the time we got there and traffic flowed fine the rest of the way to Irvine. I was actually surprised how light the traffic was in OC.

On the way back up at 1:30pm it was also wide open between Long Beach and LAX. And of course right at LAX everything came to a halt.

wingless

This will answer the question of how is the traffic on the 405 and 110. Check it at different times of day

http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?Regi...er+Los+Angeles

corky

The 405 is Satan's freeway.